Gluten-Free Chocolate Layer Cake

Angel Food, Devil's Style...

Sharing food in winter is one of life’s quiet joys. As poet Edith Sitwell noted, “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

I contemplate her words and feel an ache that is dangerously flirting with longing. As we invest more and more of our (fleeting, precious!) time into our virtual lives, connecting not by touch or even by voice, but via endless shallow streams of social media- texting, downloading, uploading, scrolling through visual tidbits of other people’s lives (often strangers), privy to their breakfast, their political opinions, and goofy pictures of Fido and Kitty- I yearn to throw a party. To embrace the old fashioned ritual of baking from scratch, lighting candles, and inviting some human beings over for an evening of conversation and real time companionship.

Laughter and chocolate cake are good medicine, feeding not only our sweet tooth, but our sun deprived spirit as well. The spirit of connectivity, friendship and inclusion.

Yet for those of us living gluten-free (and dairy-free), the deep mid-winter season- with its twinkling celebrations centered around sharing food- too often feels the opposite of convivial. It feels gated. Off limits.

Look. Don't touch. Or taste. Smile graciously.

When you need not be hyper-vigilant about each and every forkful, the food centric holidays are, as the saying goes, a piece of cake. But to those of us with celiac disease and dairy allergies, a table heaped with food (glorious food) is a big steaming reminder of how different we are, a symbol of separation. Of not belonging.

This is when a gluten-free dairy-free chocolate layer cake is more than just dessert. It is a marvelous, beautiful thing. Bordering on luxurious.

Because to indulge (and share food) without worry is a true gift.

So pick a date. Text family and friends an invite. Or pick up the phone and call. Fire up your oven. Gather plates and candles.

Conviviality, connection, and cake await.

Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe

Recipe by Karina Allrich, posted December 2012.

This dense, rich chocolate layer cake with mocha frosting is party worthy. And here’s the best part. It’s so deliciously decadent, no one will believe it’s gluten-free. It is divine. It is fabulous. Dare I say, party worthy. Everyone will love it.

Scoop the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and using a wet spatula, smooth out the tops. Bake on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating half way through baking. Test with a cake tester. The center should be firm to a light touch. Cool the pans on a wire rack.

Make the Mocha Frosting:

Combine the powdered sugar, coconut oil, vegan butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and coffee in a medium bowl and beat until combined. The frosting will be stiff.

Add the non-dairy milk a tablespoonful at a time, beating continuously, until it you see a creamy, spreadable consistency. Beat until fluffy.

If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar and beat until it thickens.

When the cakes have cooled completely, loosen the edges with a thin knife, and carefully remove the layers from the pans. Peel off the parchment. Brush off any crumbs.

Center the first layer top side down on a cake plate. Frost the top with roughly 3/4 cup of icing. Place the second layer on top of the frosted layer. Scoop about a cup of frosting onto the top of the cake and spread it evenly to the edges. Begin adding frosting to the sides of the cake, spreading it evenly over the sides.

Clean off the frosting spatula under warm water and dry it off. Smooth the sides by turning the plate as you hold the spatula firmly in place. Clean off the spatula with warm water again, dry it, and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the top with grated dark chocolate.

Allow the frosting to set by chilling the cake briefly before covering and storing the cake. This cake can be made be made a day ahead. I recommend chilling it. Leftover slices can be wrapped, bagged, and frozen.

Makes one 9-inch layer cake.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com. A version of this original cake recipe by Karina Allrich appeared in Allergic Living's Winter Issue 2012.

All images & content are copyright protected, all rights reserved. Please do not use our images or content without prior permission. Thank you. Yes, Darling, this is a rich, sweet treat. We enjoy our sugary treats in
moderation- don't we? Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2
tablespoons of sugar a day. xoxFor substitution help, please see my guide to baking with substitutions here.

GF DESIGNS @ CAFE PRESS

Instagram XOX

KUDOS for GFG

FYI INFO

About this blog:

A tumult of water has churned beneath the bridge known as the Gluten-Free Goddess blog (born in 2005). And with that current, many changes. The highlights:

My husband and I have moved more than a half dozen times (artists with empty nests like to explore), lived in six different states, tried eating dairy-free (for seven years) and baking vegan (for five), shunning gluten 100% (still do). Along the way I've created roughly 400 recipes for you. All are gluten-free, some may also be dairy-free, and some may be vegan/egg free. All were developed in my own humble kitchen(s). From Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas to Apple Crisp I have focused on tasty, seasonal, family style cooking. The kind of food we actually cook here at Casa Allrich.

Bio::

Publisher and recipe developer Karina- aka Gluten-Free Goddess- discovered she was gluten intolerant in late 2001- after a decade of unseemly, classic celiac symptoms. She has been cooking and baking gluten-free ever since, serving up hundreds of original recipes on her popular food blog, launched in late fall 2005.